On August 16, 2024, Community Health Plan of Washington (CHPW) presented Raquel Lopez, RN, with the Power of Community Nurse Recognition Award at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)’s 2024 State Conference Art of Belonging.
Nurse Lopez has been an exceptional leader within the Migrant Education Program (MEP) nursing program, significantly expanding the reach of support, services, and resources for MEP-eligible youth and families across multiple districts, even beyond her own region in the Yakima Valley.
CHPW is honored to recognize such a dedicated and passionate health care professional and advocate for student and family needs. She also played a key role in onboarding new MEP nurses, taking the time to demonstrate her advocacy methods and sharing new ways to utilize MEP funds.
Her innovation, resourcefulness, and collaboration with basic educational nursing services has helped leverage supplemental funds to introduce new initiatives, including mental health resources, which have now been replicated statewide.
Through CHPW’s partnership with OSPI and MEP, we have the privilege of working closely with health care professionals like Nurse Lopez who share our mission to ensure all Washingtonians have the opportunities needed to live their healthiest lives.
MEP is a federally funded program that aims to ensure high-quality education programs and supplemental support services for children. CHPW is grateful for the opportunity to work closely with our network of health care providers to build trusting and inclusive partnerships with programs like MEP.
Working together, we provide comprehensive support for medical and behavioral health needs in addition to fundamental social needs.
Thank you, Nurse Lopez, for demonstrating how the power of community can help support the whole health and well-being of our communities!
From left: CHPW Regional Manager Daniel Smith, CHPW Program Manager Chelsea Stone, Raquel Lopez, RN, MEP Director of Migrant Education Sylvia Reyna.
